SENECA 3, CONESTOGA 1

Coming into the season, Lauren McLaughlin knew she would be heavily relied on to help carry a young team. Despite an excruciatingly painful back, Laughlin carried her team through seven innings in front of a supportive home crowd.

"We were working on her every inning just to get her back out there," said head coach Rick Finlay.

McLaughlin gave the team everything she had on Tuesday night at Newnham Campus Field and the team, in turn, helped her get her biggest win in a Sting uniform.

"The team realized, wow, we do owe it our pitcher, pitching with a bad back."

Seneca, coming off a 12-1 loss to Conestoga, lifted their intensity and were rewarded with a run in the opening inning.  Shannon Gould hit a slow roller through the gap past an infield playing up to score Tiffany Malwatta for an early 1-0 lead.

The lead would not have been possible had it not been for Malwatta making a highlight catch in centre field with based loaded to end the scoring threat in the top half of the first.

There was some doubt if McLaughlin would return for the second inning after hurting her back trying to beat a throw to first base.  After a lengthy break between innings, McLaughlin returned to the mound to continue her run as Seneca's only pitcher so far this season.

The Sting made it a two-run lead in the bottom of the third that was set up by hard work and effort.  Gould beat out a throw at first, moved to third on aggressive base running following a sacrifice by McLaughlin and then scored on an RBI double by catcher Natalie Chiarotto.

Victoria Whidden, celebrating her birthday, led off the fifth with a triple before scoring on a sacrifice fly by Gould.  Whidden made an impact defensively as well making a backhanded stab at the ball before flipping it to first to save what would have been two runs in the top of the sixth.

Conestoga would add a run in the top of the sixth, but McLaughlin would shut down the Condors in game two, ending it with her ninth strikeout of the game to an appreciative crowd.

Seneca (2-4) gets back in action on Sunday as they travel to play the St. Clair Saints (3-3) at 12 p.m. while Conestoga (3-3) will host St. Clair Saturday in a double header at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.

Source: Seneca College